Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team delivered when it mattered most, giving him a lightning-fast pit stop that propelled him into the lead during the closing laps of Saturday night’s Toyota Owners 400 at his home track, Richmond (Va.) Raceway. Hamlin then held off a hard-charging Joey Logano in a two-lap overtime shootout to claim his 53rd career NASCAR Cup Series victory and fifth win at the three-quarter-mile Richmond oval.

“This was a team win for sure,” said an elated Hamlin, who led just 17 laps on the night. “Each one of these pit crew members just did an amazing job, they’ve been killing it all year. Such a great feeling when you can come in and have a pit crew like that.”

Hamlin’s clutch 0.269-second margin of victory came at the expense of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr., who had dominated the race by leading 228 of the 407 laps. A late-race caution erased Truex’s sizable lead, and Hamlin’s crew gained him the pivotal track position on the ensuing pit stop.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s happened a few times over the years,” said a frustrated Truex, who finished fourth. “We were in a great spot and had a great Auto Owners Camry all night long and the guys did a really good job. Just got beat out of the pits and then he [Hamlin] jumped the start and just used me up in Turn 1.”

The closing laps were action-packed, with contact between Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace bringing out the final caution to set up the first overtime period of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. Larson recovered to finish third, banging doors with Truex as they battled for position in the frantic final laps.

“I think he was just mad. He was mad the 11 [Hamlin] used him up on the restart and that’s probably where it really started from,” Larson said of the late-race contact with Truex. “I think he was more mad at Denny but I was the closest one for him to take his anger out on.”

Despite the intense on-track drama, Larson remains the championship leader by 14 points over second-place Chase Elliott as the series heads to another short track showdown at Martinsville Speedway next Sunday.

But on this night, it was Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team that executed flawlessly when it mattered most, delivering a clutch performance befitting of Hamlin’s home race and continuing Joe Gibbs Racing’s strong start to the 2024 season.